Kathie Lee Gifford Left “Today” 7 Years Ago. Here's What the TV Legend Has Been Up to Since
Kathie Lee Gifford Left “Today” 7 Years Ago. Here's What the TV Legend Has Been Up to Since
Beth SobolSun, April 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
0
Kathie Lee Gifford in 1987 ; Kathie Lee Gifford on August 11, 2025 in Franklin, Tennessee.Credit: Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ; Jason Kempin/Getty -
Kathie Lee Gifford was a staple of morning live TV until stepping away from Today in 2019
She has since returned to acting and writing, with her most recent novel published in March 2026
Gifford is a grandmother of five, and cherishes watching her family grow
Kathie Lee Gifford is a TV legend.
Gifford started her career in soap operas, appearing in Days of Our Lives and All My Children in the 1970s and 1980s. She joined Regis Philbin on The Morning Show in 1985, which was later renamed Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.
After 15 years, she left the show in 2000, then joined Today in 2008. Gifford and Hoda Kotb hosted Today’s fourth hour, which was known for its light-hearted humor and morning glasses of wine.
After 29 years of marriage, Gifford’s husband, former football pro Frank Gifford, died in 2015. In 2019, she left Today.
“It's an exciting time for me and I'm thrilled about all the projects that are coming up, but it's also hard,” she said on-air. "I've been in this business for 120 years and never worked with a more beautiful group of people who just give, give, give every day."
She’s since returned to acting and writing and is focused on being a grandmother to her five grandkids.
So where is Kathie Lee Gifford now? Here’s everything to know about her life after Live! and Today.
Gifford has made surprise appearances at Today
Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford on January 10, 2025.Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
Gifford still swings by Today on occasion.
In September 2024, Kotb announced she was leaving the show to spend more time with her family. Her January 2025 farewell episode was filled with warm wishes, including a pre-taped video from Gifford, who apologized for being too “busy” to attend.
She was pulling a fast one, of course, popping out from backstage to surprise her former co-host.
“So you fell for that?" Gifford teased. Along with Jenna Bush Hager, Gifford toasted Kotb over glasses of white wine.
She’s a New York Times best-selling author
Kathie Lee Gifford with her book in December 2024.Credit: Kathie Lee Gifford/Instagram
Gifford has co-written faith-based books like The Rock, The Road and the Rabbi, about her exploration of Israel, and Herod and Mary, about the biblical King Herod and Mary of Nazareth.
Advertisement
In March 2026, she told PEOPLE she had just finished writing her 37th book. Her newest book, Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome, was an Amazon bestseller and part of her Biblical non-fiction Ancient Evil/Living Hope series.
"These are thrillers," she said. "These are epic, epic stories, but in the Bible, they're like black and white tales, with no room for the details."
Gifford continued, "I'm an entertainer at heart, a filmmaker and a songwriter, so imagining the details is what I do. So this is a fun project for me."
Gifford has released multiple albums
Kathie Lee Gifford attends the "Unsung Hero" Premiere on April 15, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.Credit: Danielle Del Valle/Getty
Gifford has long worked on music alongside her TV career. After leaving Today, she released an album, The Way, in 2022.
The EP features songs telling stories from the Bible accompanied by music. She previously co-wrote a song, "He Saw Jesus," with country musician Brett James, performing it on Today in 2017 in honor of her late husband.
Gifford has dated since her husband's death, but does not plan to remarry
Frank Gifford, Kathie Lee Gifford, Cassidy Gifford and Cody Giffford attend the "Scandalous" Broadway Opening Night on November 15, 2012 in New York City.Credit: Michael Stewart/WireImage
Widowhood has been hard, Gifford has said, but she began dating again after her husband's death. However, she has no plans to marry again.
"You aren’t supposed to marry everyone you fall in love with. And I don't want to love easily," she told PEOPLE in May 2025. "I've been loved three times in my entire life. It's the people who have meant something deep and powerful in your life that are the hardest things to get over."
She’s a hands-on grandmother
Kathie Lee Gifford and her granddaughter in July 2025.Credit: Kathie Lee Gifford/Instagram
In 2021, Gifford hinted to PEOPLE that she would love children, saying, “One day, the Lord might bless us with little tiny feet running around."
By 2026, she had five. Gifford's daughter Cassidy and her husband Ben Wierda welcomed son Finn in 2023 and daughter Rosie in 2025.
Her son Cody and his wife Erika Brown are parents of three — Frank, Ford and Faith — who were born between 2022 and 2025.
“I think that’s one of the most joyful things in my life is watching my children be such amazing parents,” she said during a January 2026 episode of Making Space with Hoda Kotb. “If Frank and I did anything right, it would be that.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
